By: Madhu Vohra, Director of Engineering, VMWare

 

You cannot time when opportunity knocks, and you lose 100% of the opportunities you don’t take.

And so, I decided to take on the challenge! Starting a new job amongst COVID with everyone remote (WFH) was daunting, to say the least. I was very comfortable being in the office five days a week, talking to my team and peers, building relations, whiteboarding all technical discussions. And now I had the challenge to do all that in this new normal. And while the company was not new (this is my second stint at VMware), it was a new team embarking on a brand-new journey with moonshot potential! It was an experience of different magnitude. The lessons I learned were valuable, and I am happy to share them with my readers.

Empathy – I realized every person in the team was in a different spot, trying to make the best of this situation. And everyone was committed to delivering the best. However, childcare, school drop-off and pickups, planning lunches and breakfasts, were now part of every day. Work and life were completely blended. Understanding that productivity and not “hours” is the right way to work was critical, and it allowed me and my team to bring our best and holistic self to work.

Learn – I was in unchartered territory. Everyone around me knew more than me. And there was too much to learn. I found myself asking questions, and some of them were basic. I did make it a point to take notes to refer to them and avoid asking the same questions again. My team was my best source, and they were my peers. My learning was technical and emotional. I am grateful I had all the support I needed to get up to speed. Eleven months in, I can now have a thought-out and intelligent conversation; however, there is still a ton to learn. And I am happy to be at a place where learning never stops.

Trust your team – I found myself relying on the leaders in my team. Being remote, I never got the opportunity to whiteboard a design. Thankfully, my team leaders were always there to explain and use the zoom’s whiteboard feature to explain things (thank you, Zoom!). Supporting them in every way possible and enabling them to do the best they can in their role turned out to be the right decision every time!

Create/maintain the team culture – This took the most effort, and I believe it still is a work in progress. Regular checking with my directs and the second line is given. However, being remote and not seeing my team every day was a challenge. I missed those informal “good morning, how was your weekend” conversations with the team. My mentor shared some insights on what worked for her, and based on that, I started meeting with everyone in the team in smaller groups. We discussed work-related day-to-day challenges to take AIs and work on them. I was able to engage with the team and understand where I needed to pay attention and help. It also created an open culture and promoted transparency.

Celebrate and have fun – Celebrate big and small wins and milestones. It is more important for people to feel recognized now than ever before. I found team members recognizing each other and creating a much-required connection that’s hard to build in the remote environment. It helped reduce anxiety, brought the team closer, and developed trust in my team.

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller.

I am thrilled that I took on the challenge and looking forward to the fun ride!